Ali Kazak cries wolf on racism

Over the past three decades, Kazak has promoted rejectionism, extremism, conspiracy theories and engaged in apologetics for terrorism. His behaviour while PLO representative made him unwelcome in many quarters in Canberra.

To give but a few examples of many, in a 2000 interview, he defended the lynching of three Israeli soldiers who made a wrong turn into Ramallah, saying Palestinians should not be expected to "have to guarantee the safety of the occupier and the butcher." Asked by a reporter "If there is a continuing cycle of violence, you're saying it's up to them [Israelis] to stop it, you won't try to stop it?" he replied "Absolutely." (Parliamentary News Network, Oct. 12, 2000).

Kazak characterised the activities of the terrorist group Hamas, at a time when it was already increasingly using suicide bombings on Israeli public transport, thus: "Hamas is a Palestinian opposition struggling against Israeli military occupation/ oppression and the denial of the basic Palestinian national and human rights. It is a patriotic movement and the problem is not HAMAS but the problem is Israel's occupation and the extremist Jewish movements," (Radio 2RN, 2 June 1994).

Displaying a contempt for history, in a letter in theCanberra Times (15/1/2004), Kazak asserted that "the Canaanites of yesterday are the Palestinians of today. The Palestinians built the city of Jerusalem more than 1000 years before Abraham and his tribe came to it." Kazak has also claimed Jewish people did not have any historical connection with the most important religious site in Judaism, the remains of the Temple in Jerusalem (SMH, 23 March, 2001). In a press release dated 2 October 2000, he claimed that Israeli excavations under the Temple Mount had found no evidence of the existence of a Jewish Temple (there are no such excavations but no serious historian doubts the existence of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, which existence is amply documented by Roman era sources as well as archaeology. It is also part of the Islamic tradition).

In 1996, he claimed on television that the Israeli government sent "3,500 troops" to attack the "al-Aqsa Mosque" - something which never happened.

He also reportedly told the Australiannewspaperthat Palestinian journalist "Khaled Abu Toameh is a traitor" for writing about Palestinian corruption and went on to say "Traitors were also murdered by the French Resistance, in Europe, this happens everywhere," (Australian, May 15, 2010).

He has repeatedly compared Israel to Nazi Germany, which should automatically bring him into conflict with opponents of racism. In 1996 he said "the entire Palestinian population were in concentration camps." In 2001, he wrote "The Western world, which once was silent over the Nazi killing of Jews… will feel its guilt and be ashamed of its silence and its failure to act while the Palestinian people were put to a slow death." (AdelaideAdvertiser, May 25) In 1994, he said of the acts of lone Jewish terrorist murderer Baruch Goldstein "Not even the Nazis committed such acts against Jews" (Radio 6PR).

Kazak's conspiracy theories are well documented, and wide ranging, including accusations against Israel, the US and Australia.

He told the Canberra Times that the September 11, 2001 terror attacks were most likely an "inside operation", were beyond the capacity of Osama bin Laden and that he would not be surprised if right-wing groups in America were responsible. Yet he also said he hoped US politicians had "learned a lesson" from their supposed hypocrisy in supporting Israel. (CanberraTimes, Sept. 13, 2001)

When the world was applauding Israel's rescue of Ethiopian Jews from famine and war, Ali Kazak condemned it (Australian, 8 January 1985) stating on 2BL on January 9, 1985 that it was a political ploy aimed at boosting the settler population and that the Ethiopian Jews would have been happier in Ethiopia.

He alleged "Zionist" financial control over Australian politics in 1992 in a media release in which he admonished the Australian Government for letting "the pro-Israeli lobby use the Jewish Community's financial contribution to the ALP election campaign as a bribe to dictate Australia's Middle East policy." The media release stated, "This is a pure bribe, blackmail and a cheap price they are attempting to buy Australia's Middle-East policy with, Mr Kazak said… He also acknowledged that the 'Israeli-lobby' makes donations to the Liberal Party and called on all major parties to stop Israel 'occupying and raping Palestinian and other Arab territories.'"

Regarding the US response to Iraq's annexation of Kuwait in January 1991, Kazak said "It is sickening that the United States rejects an international peace conference and launch its war in order to protect Israel," (Radio 2UE, 18 January 1991).